Tuesday, November 3, 2009

AIPAC rival 'J Street' tied to Qatar, George Soros

WASHINGTON — A new Jewish lobby that claims to be supportive of Israel has been linked to Qatar.

A former Israeli diplomat has asserted that J Street has been connected to Qatar through the U.S. public relations firm of Fenton Communications.

Lenny Ben-David, a former diplomat and now consultant, said J Street founder Jeremy Ben-Ami, a senior vice president at Fenton until the lobby's establishment in 2008, could have been involved in a March 2009 project by Qatar to undermine support for Israel in the United States.

The Fenton contract with Qatar was disclosed as J Street, regarded as close to the administration of President Barack Obama, was preparing its first annual conference, said to include 150 members of Congress. The lobby failed to ensure the attendance of Israel's ambassador in Washington, Michael Oren.

"In early 2009, Fenton signed contracts with a Qatari foundation to lead an 18-month long anti-Israel campaign in the United States with a special focus on campuses," Ben-David said in an open letter to Ben-Ami.

"Did you sever your ties with Fenton when you began J Street? Do you retain any role or holdings in Fenton today? Did you play any role in introducing Fenton to the Qatari agents or play any role in facilitating the contract? Were you aware of the negotiations or the contract signed on March 12, 2009?"

Ben-David said J Street's 160-member advisory board included those listed as foreign agents for Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Middle East Newsline reported. His letter also cited J Street's ties with U.S. billionaire George Soros, said to have long sought to undermine the traditional pro-Israel lobby in Washington.

"So, it appears that Soros has created an organization that competes with AIPAC, calls for inclusion of Hamas, and opposes sanctions against Iran," Ben-David said. "His people sit on J Street's board, and his other offspring from the New America Foundation and the National Iranian American Council, work in lockstep."

The Fenton contract with Qatar was disclosed as J Street, regarded as close to the administration of President Barack Obama, was preparing its first annual conference, said to include 150 members of Congress. The lobby failed to ensure the attendance of Israel's ambassador in Washington, Michael Oren.

"These questions are relevant because it's important to know if J Street's refusal to support Israel's anti-Hamas military campaign was influenced by your ties with Fenton, whose promotional material claims: 'We only represent people and projects we believe in,'" the letter, titled "Showdown on J Street," said.

J Street has reported more than 30 contributors, many of them with ties to Arab-American organizations and Iran. The lobby has fought Israel's efforts for U.S. sanctions on Iran.

"Heads of other pro-Arab organizations, such as AMIDEAST, and Arab foreign agents are contributors to the PAC," Ben-David said. "But Mr. Ben-Ami claims that no organizations or foreign governments contribute. They don't need do; their representatives do."

On Oct. 20, the Israel embassy in Washington said Oren would not attend J Street's conference, scheduled to begin on Oct. 25. In contrast, the White House has sent National Security Advisor James Jones to give the keynote address.

"In response to the question about J Street's invitation to participate in its conference, the Embassy of Israel has been privately communicating its concerns over certain policies of the organization that may impair the interests of Israel," the embassy said in a statement. "Accordingly, the embassy will send an observer to the conference and will follow its proceedings with interest."